Global perspective Human stories

Security Council extends UN mandate in Western Sahara until April

Security Council extends UN mandate in Western Sahara until April

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission to Western Sahara, due to expire tomorrow, until the end of April.

The unanimous vote of approval for a three-month extension comes after Secretary-General Kofi Annan earlier this month asked the Council to give more time for consultations between Morocco and James Baker, his Personal Envoy, over a peace plan for the disputed territory.

The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since April 1991 after Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) agreed to a ceasefire in their long-running dispute over the status of Western Sahara.

The peace plan, submitted by Mr. Baker last year, calls for a referendum on the permanent future status of Western Sahara within four or five years. It was accepted by Frente POLISARIO in July.